Training and Safety Tip: Tidy up after flight
Leave no sunglasses behind
“What, are we having a garage sale?” I asked the dispatcher. Behind his station were four large boxes. One was full of sunglasses. The second was full of gloves. The third was full of cables and connectors. The fourth, water bottles.
“Nah,” he replied, “that’s the lost-and-found.”
“Most of it comes from the airplanes,” the dispatcher said. “It’s stuff students or instructors find left behind by the previous crew.”
Wow. OK, people, remember: A flight doesn’t end when the propeller stops turning. Just as you do a preflight inspection to ensure all is well with the airplane before you launch, a postflight inspection ensures that you leave the airplane in the condition you found it in.
A proper postflight includes—at a minimum—three things:
First, shut down and secure the airplane. This includes ensuring the master switch is off, the gust lock is in place, the aircraft is tied down and chocked, and anything else specified in the manufacturer’s and the flight school’s checklists.
Second, complete an external postflight examination. Make sure nothing fell off, came loose, or cracked during your flight. This ensures that the proper experts can get any potential issues fixed as quickly as possible. Don’t leave it for the next pilot’s preflight.
And third, do a final cabin check. Did you get all of your gear out of the airplane? Equally important, did you get all of your trash? There’s nothing worse than encountering someone else’s rotting sandwich or dirty napkins. And please be courteous. It’s the nature of both flight training and professional flying that we share airplanes. Make sure the checklist is in its proper place, and the fuel strainer is where people expect it to be. Arrange the seat belts nicely.
Some schools ask you to wipe the windscreen and the leading edges, too. Make sure you leave the aircraft in pristine condition—airworthy, clean, and welcoming—so that the next person can enjoy it as much as you did.
Plus, a good postflight check of the aircraft will keep you from having to replace your sunglasses, gloves, cables and connectors, or water bottle.
